Google: #1 in Search, #0 in All Else

Bill Tancer of Hitwise US tracks the popularity of Web sites, and finds that while Google is the overwhelming #1 in search, it does poorly in its other properties. Let's take a look:

Email

Yahoo = #1 (42%)
Google = #4 (2%)

News

Yahoo = #1 (6%)
Google = #5 (2%)

Finance

Yahoo = #1 (35%)
Google = #40 (0.3%)

Maps

Mapquest = #1 (56%)
Google Maps = #3 (8%)
Google Earth = #5 (2%)

(I think that Mapquest is so strong because many corporate Web sites include Mapquest for the "how to get to our office" page.)

This study shows that Google has more mindshare than marketshare.

For myself, I use Google for search, no Web site for email (I use my ISPs' client services), specific sites for news (Globe&Mail, Times, etc), Yahoo for finance, and Google Maps for mapping. For those who worry about Google learning everything about you, using different Web sources is one way to foil their apparently-nonevil plot for world domination.

In the CAD industry, the Google name is is now being slipped into marketing conversations because of its recent purchase of SketchUp. The purchase has little impact on the industry, but the mindshare has its effect.

Comments

[Dennis D]

I RARELY use Google for a search anymore. Instead I use Vivisimo (www.vivisimo.com). It is a clustering engine that groups the hits. Google is like Prego spaghetti sauce - "it's in there", but boy can it be hard to find. (I have no vested interest in Vivisimo except to share with others something I appreciate.)

Try Vivisimo for yourself. This is a real gem!